The Hardships of Goodbye
by SeeingStars9114
Summary: After leaving Jo at the airport, Kendall can't be strong anymore - luckily, James is there to comfort him.    H/C/A/Friendship    NO SLASH!   One shot.


**AN: Hi, there! I know this is kind of random, but the idea for this story came to me just the other day and I thought I might as well post it :) Yes, I'm still working on my story "Lost and Found". As a matter of fact, I'll be updating that really soon! :D Enjoy!**

**This is NOT slash! Just friendship!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p>James could not contain a sympathetic sigh as the sound of the departing plane echoed inside of the airport. He watched, his heart constricting painfully, as Kendall placed his palm against the cool glass of the window in a possibly-permanent farewell to Jo. "Is he going to be okay?" Carlos asked, looking over at Logan. "I hope so, Carlos." Logan replied, his eyes still glued to his heartbroken friend. A few seconds later, the lanky blonde turned around and walked towards them, his head down. James patted Kendall's back comfortingly as the four of them silently walked back towards the car.<p>

Wordlessly, James got into the car and buckled his seatbelt. The hum of the car seemed louder than normal as it stood prominent against the pure silence looming in the vehicle. Sighing casually, James propped his elbow up on the center divider of the backseat and rested his chin on top of his fisted hand. For the first time since they had met, all four of the boys were at a loss for words.

James could see Logan anxiously tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and stealing glances at the blonde in the passenger seat. Carlos was just staring out the window absent-mindedly…he had even removed his helmet during all of the chaos at the airport. James shifted uneasily; for some reason this drive seemed longer than normal, and his seatbelt felt extra uncomfortable and tight. Usually, in circumstances like these, at least _one_ of them knew what to say or do. This, however, was completely different. What do you say to your heartbroken friend who has just had to say goodbye to someone they cared for deeply? Even worse, he had said goodbye for three years. Contrary to popular belief, James wasn't stupid, so he knew that long-distance relationships were hard to maintain…especially when the couple was _countries _apart.

Logan cleared his throat and James looked at him curiously. "Are…are you all right, buddy?" the raven-haired boy asked Kendall, his voice tight. Because Kendall was in the seat in front of him, James could see his friend's blonde hair brush up against the headrest of the seat as he tore his gaze away from the window to look at Logan.

"I…don't know." Kendall replied, the sound of his unsteady whisper just barely wafting into the backseat for the other two to hear. Well, that was enough of a big red warning sign. Kendall rarely ever said "I don't know". James brushed his dark bangs out of his eyes, under the ridiculous illusion that maybe he hadn't heard correctly because of his hair. Logan just nodded rapidly, looked curiously at Kendall once more, and then placed both hands on the steering wheel, grasping it tightly.

James nervously moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue and took the time that the rest of the drive offered to gather his thoughts. He was going to need to plan his words carefully, because when they got home…he was going to talk to Kendall.

Things were awkwardly quiet during the elevator ride back to 2J - where a saddened Mrs. Knight hugged Kendall, reassuring him that he and Jo would stay in touch. Logan, Carlos, and Katie gathered on the couch, happily playing a violent video game to avoid the awkwardness. James stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, still thinking about his next move. Kendall quickly grabbed a sparkling water and retreated to his bedroom in one blur of plaid. _Okay,_ James thought_, maybe I should just leave him be._ Grabbing a plate of pie, James sat down to join in with the video games.

It wasn't until that night, around 8:00pm, that James changed his mind, again, about talking to Kendall. The heartbroken blonde had only appeared briefly to pick at a few bites of fish sticks for dinner before returning to his bedroom.

"So, are you going to talk to him or not?" Logan asked, sitting down at the kitchen bar stool. Frustrated, James blew out a breath and shook his head. "I don't know, Logan. Why don't YOU go talk to him. You're the smart one!" James exclaimed. He honestly had no idea how _he_ had been volunteered to console his friend.

"Why me?" James asked. Logan sighed, and chewed thoughtfully on a tater tot. "Because, you know me…I'd probably start babbling and Kendall would get frustrated with me. Besides," Logan started, speaking carefully, "you know what it's like to…um…have to say goodbye to someone ". James involuntarily narrowed his eyes at Logan, and he had the sudden urge to chuck his last fish stick at the dark-haired boy sitting across from him.

"I'm sorry, James, but you know it's true." Logan said in a half-mumble. James took a sip of his Pepsi, not wanting to answer Logan for fear he would say something he'd regret. James' dad leaving both he and his mother, Brooke, was the kind of thing that James never wanted to talk about. He remembered every feeling of hurt, those tingling, pin-prick like pains in your heart. You felt empty, hurt…alone. James ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. As much as he hated to admit it, Logan was right - before you have a heart-to-heart with someone…you have to have at least an ounce of knowledge about what the person is going through. Carlos came into the kitchen, helping himself to his third serving of dinner.

"Hey, one of you guys gonna talk to Kendall?" Carlos asked casually. "Yes, Carlos! I will!" James snapped angrily. Both the young Latino and Logan froze, shocked by the brunette's rare outburst. James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, Carlos. I didn't mean to snap." he apologized. Carlos just nodded, brushing it off just as quickly as it had happened, and returned to the living room. James sighed, again, feeling that exhaustion that comes when the adrenaline stops pumping after an angry outburst. "Okay, I'm going." James announced, heading towards Kendall's room before Logan could reply.

A small amount of light could be seen underneath the door, so James knew that Kendall was still up, but he knocked anyway. "What?" came a muffled, almost inaudible reply. James took this answer as an invitation to come in. Kendall would have replied differently if he were undressing or something of that sort. James stepped inside of the dimly-lit bedroom and closed the door behind him. Kendall was on his side, on top of his bed, curled up into the smallest ball that James had ever seen him get into. James lips twitched into a small, sad smile. Kendall was and always had been the only one of the four of them that could curl up like that, or hug his legs so close against his chest. Of course, that was because Kendall was built like a cross between a pipe cleaner and a green bean. James' smile faded, though, as he approached where Kendall was lying. Silent tears were streaming down Kendall's face, and pictures were scattered across the bedspread…pictures of himself with Jo at the prom. James laid on top of the bed, on his back, behind Kendall.

"I wish I could make things better, buddy." James said softly, not knowing what else he could say. There was no reply, but James didn't need one…he could see Kendall's shoulders shaking. Kendall, ridiculously enough, had always thought that because the other three looked up to him, he wasn't allowed to breakdown or need help…ever. James had talked to Carlos and Logan about this before, and all three of them had noticed this about Kendall. However, that was just the way their blonde friend was. James sucked in a breath, not ready for what topic he was about to broach. "Kendall, believe me when I tell you that I know how you feel." James said, turning onto his side to face Kendall's back.

Kendall opened his eyes and turned over to face his friend with damp green eyes. Kendall knew how difficult the Diamond's divorce had been for James, but James never, _ever_ talked about it - just like Kendall never talked about his own dad's death. James continued, knowing that he had spilled some of the beans, and it was probably best to just spill them until they were gone. "You feel like there is an actual hole in your chest, and you think nothing will ever replace what used to be there. You wonder why that person left you, and you just hope that you will see them again. You can't eat, you can't sleep, heck, you don't even want to be around other people, because you can't help but think they will leave, too".

Kendall turned to look at James, but was quiet - kind of amazed at how precisely James was explaining what Kendall was feeling right now. James turned to make eye contact with Kendall, his hazel eyes piercing with emotion. "Kendall, I know that you loved Jo and I know she loved you back. You guys will stay in touch, and your feelings about each other won't change. I miss my dad… every day, and you will miss Jo every day, too; but Carlos, Logan, and I are here for you, Kendall, and we always will be." James finished. He had felt confident during his speech, but know…he wasn't sure if he had said the right things.

A few silent seconds went by, and James was just about to cue the cricket sounds, but Kendall finally spoke. "You know, James, you're right." Kendall said, looking at his friend. James raised one eyebrow in shock, "I am?" he asked. Kendall nodded. "Yes, James, you are." he said. "Yeah, I did love Jo. I _do_ love Jo, and I wanted her to be happy and do something that was for herself for once, but I didn't know it would be that hard to say goodbye. I miss her already, and it reminds of how much I miss my dad" Kendall said, growing serious, again. James nodded, "I know, and I'm sorry that you had to say goodbye. The next few weeks without her might not be easy, but, hey, you've got us." he replied.

Kendall nodded, and before James registered what was happening, Kendall had curled up against James and buried his face against his shoulder. James sighed, his heart aching for his friend, and wrapped his arm around Kendall's shoulders. "It's all right, Kendall." James said, the feeling of Kendall's tears soaking into his shirt was something James never wanted to feel. James moved his other hand up to comfortingly rub Kendall's upper arm. The two of them laid like that for quite some time, and James stayed silent as he let his best friend's walls break down. James exhaled deeply and looked down at where Kendall's head was resting against his shoulder. The weight of Kendall's body had increased a little against James, so it was obvious he had finally cried himself to sleep. James reached out and stroked Kendall's bangs out of his eyes, trying to ignore the drying tracks of tears on his friend's face.

"It's okay, Kendall. We're all here for you. We're not going anywhere." James whispered. Of course, Kendall couldn't hear him, but it was something James felt the need to reassure him of. Learning how to move on without his dad had been hard enough for Kendall, and it would be just as difficult to move on without Jo. James knew how it was - he really did. However, they would get through it, just like they always did, because the power of the boys' friendship was unbeatable. Carlos would joke around with Kendall, Logan would watch him carefully to make sure he was alright, and James would always, literally, have a shoulder for him to lean on. They were not just friends, they were brothers.

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><p><strong>Please review and let me know what you thought of it! :D<strong>


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